When you eat food, it’s nice to know exactly what you are putting into your body, be it good or bad. This helps you make better, more educated decisions for the future. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could do that with your business’ technology, too, just by glancing at the label? Well, a new initiative may do just that for certain Internet of Things devices.
Isn’t it incredible how some people can build bad habits over the span of several years, then break them and replace them with better ones? It might look like it’s easy, but the reality of the matter is that building bad habits and replacing them is an incredibly difficult and time-consuming process. The brain literally undergoes physical changes during this process, and it’s all thanks to a neuroscientific principle called neuroplasticity.
With so many employees still working remotely, it’s easy to see how lost or stolen devices can create problems for your business. Therefore, like any security issue, it is critical to take it seriously before it happens rather than react to it as it occurs. Here are four preventative measures you can take today to decrease the odds of a lost or stolen device becoming a major problem for your business.
IT solutions have the potential to be major problem-solvers for your organization, but they are only as effective as the team members using them. This means that all employees must not only be trained on the solutions, but also must embrace them as the efficient solutions they are. Here are some ways that you can train your employees to make sure that your team is efficiently using new technology solutions.
There is no greater tool for your business’ success than the technology it uses, at least in theory. If you want to maximize the value you get from your technology, you need to make the correct decisions, which is easier said than done. Let’s go over some of the things to not do with your business technology.
Everyone has those devices that they pull out once in a great while, but don’t really use on a day-to-day basis. Maybe your business keeps a small video camera handy for events, social media content, and the like. If it isn’t used all the time, however, the battery could become subject to an assortment of issues as it sits idle. Battery life duration could diminish, or the battery itself could become unstable and replicate those found in the explosive Samsung Note 7. Think about how many devices you have that feature a rechargeable battery and are stashed away somewhere for safekeeping. That’s a considerable risk that’s piled up for some time. How to Charge These Devices Safely When storing these devices for extended periods of time, it is recommended that you level out these devices at 50 percent charge before packing them away, refreshing them every three to six months. Try storing it someplace cool and dry. If it’s been a while since a device has been used, make sure that you double-check that there’s no sign of damage or other issues before plugging it in again. And, if you do need to dispose of some older technology, make sure that you’re doing so properly. When it comes to the smartphones, tablets, and laptops that you likely use more often than some of these other devices, the rules are a little different. These devices tend not to lose any battery life until after they have been fully drained and charged back up about 500 times, and they can be left plugged in without doing too much to the battery in terms of wear and tear. This doesn’t count towards that 500 count, either. Why Does This Matter to Businesses? How many spare devices does your business have lying around? How much would it cost your business to replace these devices if the need should arise? More likely than not, quite the sum. Therefore, it is important to know how to maintain your technology so that it can be relied upon when you need it, and to have a resource at the ready should it need to be repaired or replaced. SRS Networks can be that resource for you. Give us a call at (831) 758-3636 to find out more about what we have to offer.
Understand the Value of Your Assets Your data is valuable—but do you know how valuable it really is, and which would cause the most harm if breached? Prioritizing protections based on this knowledge is how the IT experts do it to mitigate as much harm as possible to a business and its reputation. Ask yourself: if you were a hacker, what would you steal from you? Work with Proactivity in Mind In order to sufficiently protect your network, you need to start early by creating a comprehensive response plan that could conceivably protect your operations from the worst-case circumstances. In doing so, you are preparing yourself to react to cyberattacks and other events as they come with strategies designed to minimize and mitigate the problem. Invest Time in Employee Training Who would you rather have protecting your network: a few trained people amongst your team, or everyone following best practices to reduce your vulnerability? With everyone on the same page as far as what they should be doing is concerned, cyberthreats can be made half as severe and limited to half as often. Teaching your team to spot different warning signs of a cyberattack can help keep your business from being breached. Continue Innovating As cyberthreats and other attacks are always being innovated upon and improved, you need to match these efforts with your cybersecurity by remaining up-to-speed on the various threats and the strategies to counter them. Knowing how to respond to a cyberattack is a good thing, being able to prevent these attacks in the first place to protect your business’ assets is better. Cybersecurity isn’t a quick and easy fix, but SRS Networks can help make it a little quicker and easier for your organization. To learn more about the strategies and solutions we can offer, give us a call at (831) 758-3636.
What Is Changing? This year has been far from typical, but it started out “normal”. Businesses had time to set their technology budgets for 2020, but when the pandemic hit those plans were either tabled or thrown out entirely. Unfortunately, in times of crisis, cybercriminals strike, and with many businesses looking to cut costs where they can, security was, somewhat surprisingly, one place businesses borrowed from, weakening security at a time when most would assume that attacks were about to increase. What has happened in the interim has surprised many industry analysts. While many businesses cut their security spending, businesses have continued to invest in the right places to mitigate attacks. Businesses actually saw data breaches fall by a third in the first six months of 2020. This has led many businesses to question whether all the capital they were pumping into their cybersecurity strategies are actually necessary. Tried and True Solutions With thoughts about cybersecurity spending shifting, there are some strategies that are imperative to keep your business secure from threats. They include: Endpoint protection – setting policy that works to secure entrypoint onto your network is essential to keeping threats off your business’ network. Today, there are some very sophisticated attacks and being able to detect, analyze, thwart, and contain attacks is extremely important. Employee training – phishing attacks account for the majority of cyberthreats companies encounter. Ensuring that employees are cognizant of what constitutes a phishing threat, and what to do (and not to do) with it once it is received is paramount to keep data and networks secure. Encryption for remote connections – If your business relies on remote workers, keeping the connection they use secure is extremely important. You never know what your staff has on their PC, and if you don’t want to find out you need to find a reliable remote access software or outfit each member of your remote team with an enterprise VPN. Mobile access management – The smartphone has become more important than ever for businesses, but any environment that is being used as much as most people use their mobile devices needs to be secured against. These four platforms will go a long way toward helping your business maintain security of its digital assets. Where We Go From Here Now that organizations are being a little more selective about what they spend their capital on, you will see strategies emerge that are designed to combine the lessons from the past several years with the stripped-down financial obligations they’ve been working with during the first half of 2020. This means that businesses will be looking to build their cybersecurity platforms on efficiency. Here are three strategies you will see more of in the future: Building resilience – In order to be successful building cyber-resilience, companies will want to tear down the barriers that separate departments. A unified strategy for all to comply with reduces support overhead and promotes continuity throughout your organization. Establish good cyber-hygiene – Many organizations are disorganized when it comes to managing access to their digital resources. Moving to more consistent methods of managing access is advantageous for workers and administrators, alike. Lean on cooperation – One notion that has been reinforced during the pandemic is the need for cooperation between departments. Strategies in combating cybercrime and […]
Attacking Businesses During COVID-19 The deadly novel coronavirus is still in the forefront of most people’s thoughts, and as a result, many people remain home. With so many people kept from going out, people are relying on the Internet. Some businesses have shifted to remote, some haven’t but rely on online orders and support, and many others are effectively out of work, putting a lot of people online at once. For scammers and hackers, this is an ideal situation. They have taken this opportunity to set up spoofed websites that are designed specifically to get people to let their guard down enough so they can gain access to their accounts, including their business’ accounts. Unfortunately, this has become extremely common. Of the 1.2 million new COVID-19-related domains that have been built during the time spanning March 9-to-April 26 nearly 86,600 malicious websites have been created. 80 percent of those distribute malware if interacted with. An incredible amount of COVID-19 spam and phishing messages have also appeared. Some fraudulent email campaigns have claimed to come from the IRS, the CDC, healthcare organizations, and other companies. Protecting Your Business from Scams What are you to do with so many obvious (and some not-so-obvious) scams? You need to stay vigilant and remember that even though you are at home, on your home computer, that you need to function like you are on your workstation in the office. All the best practices you’ve been trained on in the office apply now and should be maintained. They include: Watch out for phishing – Whether it’s through email, messaging, or social media, keeping a skeptical eye out for phishing emails and spoofed websites will go far in keeping your business secure. Use strong passwords – Managing your passwords and keeping them up-to-date with the latest security best practices can go a long way toward securing your business. Keep data backed up and safe – Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean that your data is any less important. Keep it backed up and secured with antivirus and a comprehensive firewall. The IT professionals at SRS Networks have the experience needed to keep your business’ network secure during these hard times. Call us today at (831) 758-3636 to learn more.
The stimulus is not the first time that the U.S. Government has distributed stimulus checks, but as online banking has become more commonplace, the treasury has been distributing millions of checks via direct deposit and it has given online scammers the opportunity to try and steal money that by right will come to you. Here are five ways that they are going about scamming people: Avoid anything that has you sign up for stimulus money – Chances are that you don’t have to sign up to receive stimulus dollars, so be wary of anyone who contacts you claiming that you need to fill out information to enroll you. Scammers don’t just act online – There has been evidence of people getting postcards in the mail with a password printed on it and addressed to an individual. The card asks the user to go online to “access” or “verify” the individual’s payment information (bank account, routing number, etc.) Similar scams have been sent through traditional phishing messages via email, however, so read your correspondence thoroughly. You can’t get your money faster – Scammers have also contacted people promising that for a small fee, they can get their money to them faster. Reputable tax companies have services like this around tax time, so it may be just enough to fool some people. No, you aren’t getting more – There have also been reports of scammers sending people checks for more than they are owed. Later the scammer will call to apologize for the mistake and ask the person to return the difference in cash, gift cards, or a wire transfer. If the check isn’t coming from the U.S. Treasury, and you weren’t expecting another check, it is surely a scam. IRS correspondence – It’s true that some people have had to fill out forms on the IRS website in order to get their checks sent to them or deposited in their bank accounts. Scammers have set up webforms much like the ones on the IRS’ Economic Impact Payment website. The IRS typically contacts people through the mail, so if you get a message or an email from the IRS asking you to take action, it’s best to ignore it. Knowledge is the best defense against scammers. If you haven’t yet received your CARES Act stimulus money, you need to go to the official IRS website to find out why (or more likely when) you will receive your stimulus check. Have you seen any scams looking to steal people’s money? Leave your story in the comments below and check back to our blog for more information about cybersecurity, and the practices you need to know to avoid being a victim of cybercrime.
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